McDonald’s in Leesburg

335 East Market Street (map it)
Leesburg, VA 20176

A place for my kids to play and an efficient drive through are the best marketing a fast food restaurant can offer me. This McDonald’s has an outdoor play place. It’s a bit dingy and needs some updates, but my kids don’t care. We recently met some friends there for lunch and play and they all had a blast.

The most notable thing about this McDonald’s is that they offer the most efficient drive through I have ever seen. I am totally wowed every time I am there. The hard working employees are as friendly as those at a Southern California In & Out drive through, my order is always correct, and we can breeze through in minutes along with a line of cars when we are doing the late-for-preschool forgot-to-pack-a-lunch shuffle. As a former fast food employee, I remember the emphasis put on drive through times and the big clock used to record the time it took us to serve each car. I don’t know what the goals are today, but I believe that this McDonald’s must be meeting and exceeding them.

With all these fast food posts you must think we eat a lot of junk…. We do try to eat healthy, organic, unprocessed and local food as often as possible, but I must confess that my kids and I suffer from an addiction to McDonald’s cheeseburgers. I have convinced myself that the $3.26 I spend on our regular 3-cheeseburger order is not doing much to line the pockets of the fast food industry but reconsidering this exception to my values is on my extensive to-do list. For now the pain inflicted on my ego by my contradictory values is eased by avoiding happy meal purchases, sides, and drinks (most of the time). I also pull a blanket over my head and avoid books like Fast Food Nation until I am ready to change.

“Greening” one’s life is a slow process, and comfort foods can be one of the most difficult things to hold up against the environmental impact yardstick. Until I do that, I invite you to join me and my ego in ordering from the value menu.